Internal-combustion engine



T. B. FUNK AND W. L. CARVER.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I0. 191?.

T. B. FUNK AND W. L. CARVER. NTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED sEPT.1o,1917.

1,396183, Patented Nov. s, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

y lT. B. FUNK AND w. L. CARVER.

INTERNAL CMBUSTION ENGINE.`

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. l0, 1917. 1,396,183. Patented Nov.. 8, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

T. B. FUNK AND W. L'. CARVER.

INTERNA'I COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 10. 1911.

1,396,183, Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

i UNITED STATES PATENT O FFICE.

TRUMAN .'B. FUNK, 0F MOLINE, AND WALTER L. CARVER, 0F ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS,

AssIeNoRs To MOLINE PLOW or ILLINOIS. Y

OF MOLINE,

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.`

Application led September 10, 1917. Serial No.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that we, TRUMAN B. FUNK and WALTER L. CARVER, both citizens of the United States, residing at Moline, county of Rock Island, and State of Illinois, and at Rock Island, county vof Rock Island, and State of Illinois, respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention has to do with certain new and useful improvements in internal combustion engines, and has particular reference to the arrangements for feeding the elements of combustion in such a manner as to secure the best results of opera-v tion. The features of the present invention are very well adapted for usein connection with engines intended for burning kerosene, but it will appear from a study of the features ofthe invention that the said features will be of greatbenet to any engine burning gasolene and many of the 4low grade fuels which are being used at the present time.

It is well understood that water, when injected into the cylinder of an internal combustion engine, prevents the accumulation of carbon 4and cooling effect uponthe inner walls of the cylinder, thereby improving the lubrication, and bringing about a number of conditions that Vmake for better operation and service.

Satisfactory introduction of the water into the cylinders of the engine has been a problem which has presented considerable difficulties in the way of a satisfactory solution. The water should be introduced at all times at the proper rate of feed according to the gas consumption of the engine, being introduced more rapidly when the engine is running rapidly than when the engine is running slowly. Manifestly it is not always possible for the operator to manually adjust or modify the rate of water feed from time to time, and it is, therefore, very desiraable to provide an arrangement whereby the water feed will automatically regulate or vary according to the requirements of the instantaneous speed of operation of the en ine.

ne of the objects of the present invention isv to provide an arrangement whereby Specification of Letters Patent.

also has a very beneficial Patented Nov. 8, 1921. 190,552.

the rate of'water feed will automatically vary from moment to moment according to the requirements of the engine speed. Furthermore, the water at no time is introduced at a high rate or volume, the amount of water taken in atany time being comparatively small. As a result the passages and valves for delivering and controlling the water are of necessity of somewhat small size, and in the past considerable difficulty has been experienced in so arranging the parts that small particles of dirt and foreign substances will not clog up the system. Another object of the present invention is to so arrange the water feeding system and mechanism that the danger of clogging by foreign substances will be minimized.

The best results of operation are found to be secured when the water is introduced into the cylinders in the form of steam mixed with the combustible mixture. This necessitates the generation of steam from the water and the introduction of this steam into the combustible mixture at a suitable point and in the proper quantities at all times. Therefore, another object of the invention is to provide an arrangement whereby the steam will be generated at all times in substantially'the correct quantities for the best conditions of operation according to the instantaneous demands for gas.

Another feature of the invention has reference to the arrangement of the parts and their construction in such a manner that they may be standardized both as to form and size for engines of different sizes and characteristics. This will make it possible to meet the requirements of different sizes of engines with a minimum number of stock parts and consequently at a minimum cost of manufacture.

Another feature ofthe invention has to do with the introduction of the moisture into the air at that point which will give the best results of operation. We have found that, when the moisture is introduced into the air in the form of mixture and before the air reaches the carbureter, the results of operation are very much better than when the steamer moisture is introduced at any other point. This is particularly true when burning such fuels as kerosene and the like, because the fuel is thereby carburized or vaby the moisture may vention is to provide be introduced into the air inthe form of steam and prior Yto the y introduction of the air into the carbureter.

Other objects and uses of the invention will appear the same which consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts here-V j lexhaust manifold is designated' by the Vnuinafter described and claimed.

y Y Referring to the drawings:

' Figure 1 shows aside elevation of a four .Y cylinder internal, combustion engine hav- 'through the exhaust ing applied thereto the features of the present invention. This is a view lookingat the intake side of the engine, the exhaust manifold, as well ascertain other parts', bef ing shown in dotted lines; l

Fig. 2 is an end view vof the machine shown i'nlligl;v Fig. 3 Yisv a fragmentary vertical lsection manifold and air jacketsurrounding the same;Y

- Fig. lis a vertical cioss section taken on line L -4l of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows; i Y

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line -l of Fig. 2, looking in the direction ofthe arrows;

VFig. 6 is a.v view ing` aimodiiied construction of parts;. and Fig. 7 is a vertical section taken approxif mately on the line 7--7 of Fig. 5v, looking in thedirection of the arrows. 7 Before proceeding with a detailed description'y of the construction shown in the drawings,- we will state that in a simple application use ismade of a water box the .exhaust gases from the engine,

Y generate the steam which is then mixed with proximate the rate of delivery gas.

the air prior tofdelivering` the air to the carburetei. Since the temperatureof the eX- haust pipe will increase .as the amount of exhaust gas increases,'it follows that the rate of steam: generation will closely ap- ,Sinre the rate at which the exhaust gas is delivered depends almost directly upon lows that this arrangement will give a rate l of steam generation closely proportional to the rate of fuel consumptioinbeing, therefore. inlhis respect an ideal arrangement.

,1V e will, furthermore, statethat, in av sim# ple embodiment of the features of the inveiition, we provide a water reservoir at a i slight elevation above the water box to which the water reservoir is connectedby a pipe or. tube of such come clogged or obstructedby particles Vof dirt and the like which may be carried in Y the water. The delivery end of this pipe or tube is submerged by water contained an arrangement where from a detailed description of -v similai` to Fig. 5showfV tion of ftheprinciples of the present inven. heated byV so as to Y of exhaust the rate of fuel consumption, it folsir/ie as will notv readily belishes automatically a water vseal or weir. This will keep al vays at the desired point without the use of Vcomplexmechanisin, such as .float valves, and also without the use'of delicate devices, such as drip valves.

the elevation of thewater` Turning now to a detailed consideration in the water boxwhich, ,therefore7 estab-VV of the drawings, the cylinder block is desig.

nated Yin its entirety by the numeralS. The

meral9 andthe intakemanifold bythe numeral 10. The intake fmanifold'receives its gas from the centralv connection 11 under the controlof theA valve 12 :in the carbureter A,13. The fuel,.su'ch as kerosene or the like, is Ydelivered tothe carburetor by theY line 14 from the fueltank. VvThe airor mixture of air andY steamfor the carbureter is Vdelivered through the-connectionf'l in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. Y1. :Tf air were to be delivered to-.the carbureter unheated, theconnection 15 might .beleftsopjen tothe atmosphere, but in order to preheat the air and supply the same with steam, laccording to some of the features of thepresent invention', we have provided the'V constructions which we Vwill now explain.V o Reference -particularlyto -Figslv and 5 shows that the exhaust manifold 59 is surrounded by an air jacket in the form of an OutercaSng `or wall 16, thereby providing the annular space haust manifold. A-partition 18 extends lengthwise on both sides of the space 17, thereby dividing thev same into lower and upper portions 19 vand 20, respectively.v 1' The partition 18 extends ,forwardlyY a substantial distance .within the spacefl? lso 'as to properly guide the air in its flow. s, 1 Y Aupair passage 21 extends upwardly on the inlet'side of the engine, -across the'top ofthe engine, and.y downwardly on the ex-V haust side, and communicates with the lower passage 2l) Y. surrounding the exhaust manifold; Thus, the lair-is delivered intosaid lower passage and flows toward the right, as. shown by the arrow in Figl; This air then passes around the end ofthe baffle plate 18 and upwardly,ras shown by the arrow in Fig. 1, and finally, passes away'froin the exhaust manifold by vway of a passage 22. This passage 22 extends upwardly yand across the engine Vto the inlet side, and its lowerV end `communicates with the; passage are providedby.arspecial` casting in which they are both formed.

The constructionof the water box Whwh the, Steam; is .generated is. shown in 17` surrounding the eX- Y detail in Figs. 5, 6, and 7. As a matter of convenience, the same constitutes a portion of a casting 23 which is built or set into the exhaust line 24, although it will be evident that the water box can be provided in any other suitable manner. In the construction shown in Fig. 5, this casting includes the exhaust gas passage 25 and the chamber 26 located at one side of the same, the intermediate partition 27 separating said chamber from the exhaust gas passage. This construction presents the advantage of great simplicity and low cost of manufacture. However, in the arrangement shown in Fig. 6, the casting 23 is modified to the extent that it is made in two parts with a separate removable partition 28 between the passage 25 and the water box 26. rThis partition 28 may be made of material having a very high heat conductivity, such as aluminum or the like. This will increase the capacity of the steam generating unit without increasing its size or weight. The two portions of the steam generating element shown in Fig. 6 may be joined together by the use of bolts 29 with their nuts 30.

At a suitable point and at a suitable elevation with respect to the water box is a water tank 3l. A tube or pipe 32 conducts the water from the lower portion of this tank to the water box, terminating at the point 33 on the interior of the water box, as shown in Figs. l, 2, and 7. The water will rise within the water box to a level 34 slightly above the lower end of the tube 32, and as fast as the water is boiled out, it will be replenished through the tube. A clamp nut 35 serves as a convenient means for making a steam-tight connection between the tube 32 and the water bo.v at the point where the steam tube enters the box.

The steam generated within the water box pases out of the same by way of an opening 36 which communicates with an opening 37 in the lower portion of the air jacket around the exhaust manifold. Consequently, the steam generated in the water box passes up and mixes directly with the air as the air is swinging around the end of the baiiie plate 18. This will insure a very thorough mixture of the steam and the air. Thereafter the mixture of steam and air will travei a substantial distance in Contact with the exhaust manifold, so that an additional quantity of heat will be absorbed intol the mixture, thereby superheating the steam and drying out the mixture. This still further enhances the beneficial action of the arrangement.

It is, of course, necessary to replenish the water in the tank 3l from time to time, and it is very desirable to be able to do this without disturbing the action of the remaining portions of the arrangement. It is desirable for this purpose to cut off or break communication between the water tank and the tube 32 during the time the tank is being filled. For this purpose, we have provided a valve 38 between the tank 3l and the upper end of the tube 32. A spring 39 l, it will press against the valve 38 and open "f the same against the force of the spring 34. 0n the contrary, when the filler cap is removed, the spring 39 will close the valve, and thus stop the flow of water to the tube 32.

As shown particularly in Figs. l and 2, a kink or bend 42 is formed in the tube 32. By the use of this kink or bend, the elevation of the lower end 33 of the tube can be regulated so as to raise or lower the level of the water within the water box, thus simultaneously modifying the area of water in contact with the partition 27 of Fig. 5, or 28 of Fig. 6. If it be found, for example, that the engine is not getting sufiicient steam, the lower end of the tube may be raised, thereby raising the elevation of the water within the box, increasing the area of water in contact with the partition, and giving a greater steam production per cubic foot of engine displacement. 1

While we have shown and described certain embodiments of our invention, still it will be understood that we do not limit ourselves to the same, except as we may do so in the claims.

We claim:

l. In a device of the class described, the combination with an internal combustion engine having an exhaust manifold on one side of the cylinder block, an exhaust delivery pipe, and a carbureter on the other side of the cylinder block, of a water pot in contact with the exhaust pipe and heated thereby for the generation of steam or vapor, means for maintaining a substantially constant level of water within such pot, a mixing jacket surrounding the exhaust manifold, there being a connection for the delivery of steam from the pot to said mixing jacket, a U-shaped connection for delivering air from the carbureter side of the cylinder block up over said block to the mixing jacket for mixture with the steam in the presence of the hot manifold, and a U-shaped return connection from the mixing jacket up over the cylinder block to the carbureter, bot-h of said U-shaped connections being in contact with each other, substantially as described.

2. Tn a device of the class described, the combination with an internal combustion engine having an exhaust manifold on one side of the cylinder block, an exhaust pipe, and a carbureter on the other side of the lOO cylinderblock, of Vafwater pot in Contact 1with the exhaust pipe and-heated thereby for the generation of steamV or vapor, a mixing jacket in Contact with the exhaust manifold and heated thereby, there being a connection from the `water pot to themx-V ying .jacket or the latter5 an un' connection for the delivery of delivery of steam to the air IZOIIlv thecarbureter sideiof the cyhnder block te the Vjacket for mixture with the steam therein in ,the presenceV of :the hot manifold, and a. Connection from said jacket to the earbiueter, substantially as described. Y

'TRUMAN HFUNK. il WALTER. ,LxlfxiwneY 

